The following exchange was between ARAG and Lord Mayor Clover Moore post the recent Lord Mayor’s Roundtable.

• Residents are VERY concerned about the number of cars speeding on Henderson Road (approx 85% vehicles are over the speed limit).  Residents have been very vocal in advocating for a number of changes to slow traffic including speed cushions. The recent decision to implement a ‘pop up’ bike lane and to close Park Street at Henderson Road has not been well received as its installation has not been well explained and is not seen as a solution to reduce the issue.  Urgent action needs to be taken to address this issue due to the number of young families and older residents on this street
• We have been approached by residents to reduce the speed of drivers turning from Renwick Street into both Suttor Street and Dibbs Street.  Gary Speechley has submitted a proposal to introduce traffic calming and street beautification changes which will make it safer for pedestrians by narrowing the entrance to the street, forcing the cars to slow
• The footpaths on Botany Road between Henderson and Buckland streets are very uneven and dangerous
• Widening footpaths and increasing crossing times at lights are seen to enhance the pedestrian experience
• Make bike paths more connected
• Advocate to have buses that go to Circular Quay in the evenings (rather than stopping at Redfern or Central) so that people can attend entertainment in the city at night

• The unrestricted parking around the perimeter of Alexandria Park (Buckland/Wyndham/Power Streets) should be removed and replaced with restricted resident parking

• Issues in relation to the increasing number of AirBNBs in the area – leading to anti social behaviour and rubbish dumping
• Promoting local businesses to the community (including small music venues who can provide online streaming for minimal cost) – finding better ways of doing this
• Providing some infrastructure to enable people to ask for help from neighbours and having a way of people offering to provide help (shopping, companionship, phone support)N.B. the support offered by staff (Maria Sanna and Thor Blomfield) at Cliff Noble Centre to the older residents during lockdown was very much appreciated
• Have first nation’s representatives in all schools
• Repair Housing Commission homes

Dear Vanessa

I refer to your email following on from my Lord Mayor’s Roundtable for resident action groups.

Thank you for participating in the roundtable. I forwarded your email to City staff to be treated as a submission for the City’s Community Recovery Plan. I also forwarded your feedback to the City Access and Cycling teams. I encourage you to read the plan, which was adopted by Council at its meeting on 29 June 2020, on the City’s website at https://bit.ly/3e2DMYe.

I note your request for a recording of the meeting. City staff turned the recording function on briefly to see if it would capture the chat comments, but they didn’t record the meeting. You can see a summary of the comments from all the roundtable events on the City’s website at the link given above.

If you would like to speak with City staff about the roundtable, you can Yvette Andrews, Strategic Community Consultation Manager, on 9265 9333 or at yandrews@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

I note your concerns about the pop-up cycleway and speeding vehicles on Henderson Road. Avoiding a second wave of Covid-19 breaking out and ensuring the safety of people commuting to the city are absolute priorities for the City.

The recent breakout of Covid-19 cases in Victoria and NSW highlights the continuing risks posed by this virus and we must ensure we continue to take responsible, often difficult, decisions that are in the interests of public health. These pop-up cycleways are critical infrastructure that have been fasttracked by the NSW Government as part of its essential public health response to the pandemic.

The Minister for Transport and Roads made it clear that these pop-up cycleways are about saving lives. We must maintain social distancing on public transport to minimise the spread of the virus, but this means that the capacity of services will be significantly reduced. The cycleways will play a critical role in reducing passenger loads, asCovid-19 breaking out and ensuring the safety of people commuting to the city are absolute priorities for the City.

Approved under the Ministerial Order, the temporary cycleways have not gone through the extensive consultation processes the City usually undertakes. They will be assessed while in use, and any proposal for a permanent cycleway on this route will only be undertaken following full community consultation. Pop-up cycleways are simple to implement, adaptable and inexpensive. Their easy-toinstall infrastructure such as painted road markings, temporary kerbs, lane dividers and flexible poles will allow the City to make changes as required.

The Henderson Road cycleway is one of six pop-up cycleways that the City is working with Transport for NSW on to allow cyclists to more safely access the city centre. Henderson Road was chosen because it connects the inner west to central and eastern Sydney, providing a direct cycleway connection to South Eveleigh and Redfern. You can find more information about these new cycling routes online at city.sydney/popupcycleways.

Traffic calming treatments installed alongside the cycleway include both rubber speed cushions and dynamic speed management signs. The roundabouts have been removed, but these treatments, the road closure and the narrowing of the street will slow vehicles and reduce regional through traffic.

The City places a high priority on improving pedestrian safety and staff will closely monitor the impact of the pop-up cycleway on pedestrians. The City will conduct traffic and pedestrian counts post operation to assess traffic flow and speed in Park Street and investigate the possibility of widening the footpath on both corners of Park Road at Swanson Street to reduce the distance a pedestrian needs to cross the road safely. We’ll investigate further traffic calming measures as required. NSW Police will are monitor the area to discourage speeding and other dangerous driving behaviour.

To have your say when we consult on the future of your streets, and to be included in future updates, go to city.sydney/yoursaycycleways.

If you would like to speak with a Council officer about the pop-up cycleway on Henderson Road, you can contact Craig Ryan, Senior Community Engagement Coordinator, on 9265 9333 or at crryan@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

I note your particular concern about drivers speeding as they turn from Renwick Street into Suttor and Dibbs Streets. The City isn’t aware of a speeding issue in Renwick Street; however, we are proposing to widen the footpath at the intersection of Renwick Street with Suttor and Alexander streets.

Widening the footpath at this location would reduce the turning space for vehicles, requiring drivers to slow down when entering or leaving these streets. This change would also reduce the crossing distance on the road, making it a safer environment for pedestrians. This proposal includes a continuous footpath to prioritise pedestrians and improve safety and access, as well as slowing down
cars turning into or out of Alexander Street.

City staff will also investigate the possibility of widening and extending the footpath at the intersection of Renwick and Dibbs streets, to improve safety. We’ll consult residents later this year if this project goes ahead.

I note your comments about the footpaths on Botany Road, between Henderson and Buckland streets. City staff inspected this site at the beginning of July, and they tell me the footpath on the western side of the street, which is controlled by the City, is in an average condition, and that it’s still safe and functional. We’re planning to renew this footpath soon, but we can’t do so until Transport for NSW (TfNSW) completes its construction work at Sydney Metro’s Waterloo Station. We’ll monitor the footpath in the meantime to see whether any repairs are needed. The eastern side of the Botany Road footpath is under TfNSW’s control and City staff understand TfNSW is planning to resurface it within the next two years.

Any proposals to widen the footpath on Botany road would need approval from TfNSW, as Botany Road is classified as a state road. City staff think it’s unlikely TfNSW would support such works because they would slow down traffic flow, especially during peak hours. Similarly, TfNSW would need to consider your comments about crossing times at traffic lights. I encourage you to contact TfNSW directly on 13 22 13 about this point and ask for the Network Operations Manager.

If you would like to speak with City staff about the Botany Road footpaths, you can contact Param Seenithamby, Principal Engineer Roads and Structures Assets, on 9265 9333 or at prajah@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

I note your request for the unrestricted parking around Alexandria Park, in Buckland, Wydham and Power streets, be replaced with timed permit parking. The City isn’t considering providing permit parking in this location because TfNSW guidelines for permit parking don’t support providing it away from residential properties. It would also make it more difficult for the general community to visit the park. The City has already provided permit parking in front of most residential properties in this area, including angle parking, wherever possible, to increase parking available for residents near their homes.

However, we would consider replacing the unrestricted parking around Alexander Park with a threehour restriction, if there were evidence of support for this change. This would allow visitors enough time to visit the park. If this option interests you, then I encourage you to speak with your neighbours and forward a joint submission to the City. You can send a submission to Council@cityofsydney.nsw.gov.au.

Yours sincerely
Clover Moore
Lord Mayor of Sydney

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